Road Trip
by SugarHighNutcase
Summary: Challange fic for Dragon Pants. Troy drags Ryan into going on a road trip with him. TroyRyan slash eventually. Read and review.
1. Chapter 1

_Road Trip_

By SugarHighNutcase

**Alright, this was a challenge fic for DragonPants. Hope it's up to standard! Please review. I really hope this doesn't end up being too cheesy or whatnot. XD This first chapter is a bit introductory. The road trip, and all the action begins next chappie. Enjoy! Oh, and be sure to read the important note in my bio!**

**This fic will contain slash later on. Don't like reading about two guys making out or whatever? No one is forcing you to read it.**

Troy Bolton was fed up.

His girlfriend was driving him crazy, following him around and constantly pestering him. His dad wouldn't let up on him; he was constantly working Troy hard on and off the basketball court. His best friend wouldn't quit teasing him about "the singing thing", although he claimed to be okay with it. The basketball team and the drama club both expected too much of him, and Troy was fed up.

Spring Break had arrived, and Troy was glad. He couldn't stand another minute of school. He'd jumped up at the opportunity for a break, and decided on a road trip. After all, what better way to spend Spring Break? He'd be alone, and he'd get to travel a bit.

It was the perfect plan.

Until Ryan stopped by.

------

"Hey, Troy."

Troy looked up from his packing. He'd been stuffing a bunch of boxers into his duffel bag when Ryan's familiar voice reached his ears. Smiling despite himself, Troy stood.

"Hey, Ry. What's up?" He realized he still held his boxers, and quickly stuffed them into the duffel.

Ryan grinned. "Not much. Shar just wanted to be sure you got the music, so you could practice over break." Troy groaned to himself. Of course. He'd never be able to get away from it all. Ryan ignored him and went on. "I told her you'd want to get away from that during break, but you know Sharpay; she insisted. I told her I'd drop it off; I wanted to go for a walk anyway. You don't have to look at it or anything; I know you need a break."

Troy stared at the blond haired boy. They'd become friends ever since the callbacks. They weren't the best of friends, and yet, here was Ryan, understanding more about Troy than Chad or Gabriella or anyone did.

When Troy said nothing, Ryan spoke up. "Well. Um, I should go now, Shar'll want me to go over our dance, so-" Leaving it at that, Ryan turned to leave.

"Wait!" Troy called. His mind was reeling. Should he? Ryan had understood him, and Troy liked spending time with him, but still. The words tumbled from his lips before he had a chance to decide against it.

"Feel like going on a road trip?"

Ryan stared at him. "What?"

Troy smiled; he'd made the right choice, he decided. "I'm going on a road trip. I was going to go alone, but if you'd like to come- I mean, I want you to come with me. Please?" he added, giving Ryan a pleading look.

"Troy, I- I dunno. When are you leaving?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight? Troy, I can't just leave like that! I mean- it's just too-"

"Why not?" Troy shrugged, turning back to his packing.

"I can't just get up and leave. What if I have plans?"

"Do you?"

Ryan gaped at him, his mouth hanging open as he searched for words. Troy turned and looked him in the eye. "Do you?"

"No," Ryan admitted.

"Then there's no problem, right?"

"I don't know, Troy. I mean, isn't this something you wanted to do alone?"

"Well, yeah, at first." He had gone back to his duffel, grabbing a fistful of socks and shoving them inside. "But I'd like it more if you were there."

"Why?"

Troy turned around. Ryan was watching him solemnly. "What do you mean?"

"Why me? What about Gabriella? Or Chad? What about them?"

"I've had enough of them for now. Why do you think I'm leaving so soon? Look, Ry, if you don't want to go, fine. I just thought it'd be fun. I'd like for you to go with me."

Troy went over to his closet and brought out a few pairs of jeans, and dumped them into the bag.

"Okay."

He looked up. Ryan was grinning. Troy couldn't help but grin back.

"You'll go?"

"I'll go."


	2. Chapter 2

_Road Trip_

By SugarHighNutcase

**Thank you so much to my lovely reviewers! I'm trying to update as much as possible before I leave, since I don't know how often I'll get to update while I'm gone. Therefore, here's chapter two! Enjoy.**

Ryan Evens was happy.

He was going on a road trip with Troy Bolten. Troy. Of all people.

And what's more, Troy had asked _him_ to go. Not Gabi, or Chad, or anyone else, but _him._

And Ryan was happy.

He'd asked Troy to give him a few hours to pack, get everything in order, and to break the news to Sharpay- who'd looked extremely suspiscious when he did.

And now, he was ready. Ready and waiting.

------

"So, where are we headed?"

Troy pulled away from Ryan's house. They were finally on the road, and the sun was just beginning to set. "I dunno. I think we should visit the west coast, go up north, maybe even to Canada. It's all spontaneous."

"Can we stop at Mexico?"

Troy glanced at him. Ryan was looking back at him, eager. "Please?" Ryan added.

"Do you speak Spanish?"

"Some."

"Well, I don't, so if we go there, you'll have to do all the talking. Why do you want to go there so badly?"

"I've never been. Well, okay, once, but I was really young. Mexico just seems like a cool place." Ryan began fiddling with the radio, searching for a good station. "So, can we?"

"I guess. Sure, why not?"

Music began blaring from the radio. Troy looked over at Ryan who was grinning at him. Troy couldn't help but grin back. Ryan always made him smile.

"What is this?" Troy gestured to the stereo.

"Red Hot Chili Peppers. Road Trippin'. I thought it would be appropriate."

_Let's go get lost_

_Let's go get lost_

"Yeah, it is. I didn't know you liked them."

"Let me guess, you figured I just listened to show tunes?"

_Just a mirror for the sun_

_These smiling eyes are just a mirror for_

"Well, kind of." Troy looked sheepish. "Guess not, huh?"

"Show tunes are just what I do onstage. I like a lot of music."

_It's time to steal away_

_Let's go get lost  _

_Right here in the U.S.A_

They rode in silence for a while, watching as the buildings got fewer. Trees and acres of land passed them by, with the occasional lone gas station.

"So… where are we going?"

Troy grinned at the blond. "You wanted to go to Mexico, right?"

"We're going there first?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Can we get pizza?" Ryan asked.

"Pizza? Now?"

"Yeah. I'm kind of hungry, and I like pizza." Ryan peered out the window in search of a pizza place. "Please, Troy? My treat."

"Okay, if you can find a place to stop and get pizza, I'll pull over."

"Good, pull over." Ryan pointed to a small place hidden by several trees. Troy woulld have driven right by it had Ryan not noticed it. The place had very little light.

"Are you sure? This doesn't look too inviting." Troy skeptically drove toward the restaurant.

"Yeah, come on." Troy stopped his car, and Ryan immediately jumped out.

The boys began walking to the entrance. Troy saw now that the windows were tinted; he could hear people laughing and talking inside.

"How much farther to Mexico?" Ryan held open the door as an older couple walked out. He gestured Troy inside, and followed.

"I dunno. Why?"

"Well, you aren't going to drive all night, are you? You have to sleep sometime. Are we going to stop somewhere?"

Troy thought about it as they were taken to a table near the window. They gave their drink orders to the red haired waitress, and when she left, Troy spoke up. "I guess we could stop for a bit, but I want to drive for a bit more. I have no clue where we are, but I want to get close to Mexico before we stop."

The waitress was back with their drinks, and quickly took their orders before leaving as quickly as she'd come.

Ryan turned back to Troy. "Hey, what about the east coast?"

Troy took a sip of his drink. "What about it?"

"Can we go there instead of the west coast? We'd get to go farther, and see more. It'd be fun."

"Well, we could go to Florida, I guess. I've heard good things about the Florida beaches." Troy watched absently as the waitress brought over their pizzas. "Maybe we could go up north over there."

Ryan looked up from his pizza. "Hey, what about Boston?" Troy grinned. Ryan was just too excitable. "My cousin used to live there; he really liked it. It'd be cool."

"Sure. Why not?"

------

Two hours later, Troy was driving in search of a hotel they could stop at. Something cheap and quick. It was getting late; Ryan was dozing lightly in the seat beside him, and he himself was feeling drowsy.

Seeing what looked like a Holiday Inn, Troy quickly pulled into the parking lot. "Ry, wake up." Ryan slowly opened his eyes. "We're here."

He got out of the car, and grabbed his duffel from the trunk. Ryan came out of the car sleepily, and followed suit. Troy took Ryan's arm and gently steered him to the entrance.

The lobby was large, yet empty looking. The front desk was next to the elevator, and across the lobby were three chairs and a coffee table. Troy frowned. Maybe this wasn't the Holiday Inn.

He went over to the front desk and checked them in, watching Ryan out of the corner of his eye. The blond was blinking rapidly to stop himself from falling asleep. Troy's lips curved up into a small smile as Ryan began shaking his head to wake himself up. Ryan was too adorable.

Troy accepted the key and turned to Ryan, when he realized something.

He'd just thought of Ryan as adorable. Shaking his own head, Troy gestured to the elevators, motioning for Ryan to follow him.

They said nothing as the elevator took them to the third floor. Stepping out, the boys walked down the hall until Troy found their room. He put the key in the lock and opened the door.

Flicking on a light switch, Ryan blinked in the sudden light. Looking around, he saw a single bed, with dirty white sheets.

A single bed.

One with dirty white sheets.

Ryan suddenly felt very awake.

"Hey, Troy?"

Troy, who'd been examining the bathroom, walked out. "Yeah?"

"There's only one bed."

Troy looked over to the bed. "Oh." Aside from being dirty, it was also quite small. "Well, you can take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."

Ryan shook his head. "No way. You sleep on the bed." Troy looked at him exasperatedly.

"Ryan, it's not that dirty." He went over and pulled back the sheets.

"Oh, no. No way. I am so out of here." Ryan made for the door. Troy didn't try to stop him; he was too busy staring at the bed.

In between all the blankets sat a dead rat.

------

"Okay, so the hotel idea was bad." Ryan said. They were in the car, where they'd be sleeping for the night.

"Not necessarily." Troy consoled him. "It was the hotel that was bad. We'll look for a better one next time. Just go to sleep, Ry." Troy closed his eyes. "We've got a lot of driving to do."

Ryan got comfortable in his seat and closed his eyes. "Night, Troy."

"Night, Ry," Troy mumbled.


	3. Chapter 3

_Road Trip_

By SugarHighNutcase

**This chapter is for Dark Angel Kira, because her review made me want to update. Plus, she gave me the inspiration for the cute TroyRyan scene you're about to read. And thanks to those who gave suggestions for the song. I chose two of them. Enjoy!**

Troy awoke the next morning with a start, expecting his alarm to go off. Looking around, he realized he was not at home, in bed like he'd assumed, but instead in his car. He tried to sit up, and found something was holding him down. Looking about groggily, he saw a pale arm slung across his chest. His eyes slowly followed the arm, only to find it attached to a body. Ryan's body.

Ryan's head lay on Troy's shoulder.

_Ryan's head lay on Troy's shoulder._

_Ryan's head… on Troy's shoulder._

Oh, boy.

"Hey, Ry?" Troy whispered, gently shaking the blond. "Ryan, c'mon; wake up."

Ryan groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He yawned. "T-Troy?" he asked sleepily. "Why are you in my bed?"

Troy smiled. "I'm not. We're in my car. Remember? We're going to Mexico."

"Right. Mexico." Ryan's eyes started to close. Troy grabbed his arm and shook it. "C'mon, Ryan. Wake up!"

Ryan opened his eyes a second time, seeming more alert. "Oh, hey, Troy." Realizing the position he was in, he blushed. "Um, I- I didn't-" He picked himself off of Troy and looked out the window. "Sorry about that."

Troy found himself unable to stop grinning. "Don't worry. You kept me warm." He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

_You kept me warm._

_You kept me warm._

Troy couldn't bellieve he'd said that. To Ryan, of all people. Avoiding Ryan's eye, he drove in silence for bit, until Ryan broke it.

"So, where to now?"

"Mexico."

"Well, aren't we going for breakfast? I'm hungry."

Troy glanced at him. Ryan was still looking out the window; his blond hair was messy, and he looked drowsy. Troy decided Ryan looked cute in the morning.

"We'll stop at the next gas station, okay?"

"Good."

Ryan leaned back in his seat, and turned on the radio. He flipped stations a bit before settling at one that was blaring a familiar tune.

"What is this?" Troy asked. "I know I've heard it."

_Finally Friday night_

_Feelin' kinda good, lookin' alright_

_Gotta get movin', can't be late_

"Come on, Troy." Ryan was grinning. "S Club 7! Honestly."

Troy laughed as Ryan began to sing along.

_O-oh O-oh! Throw your hands in the air_

_O-oh O-oh! Like you just don't care_

_O-oh O-oh! There's a party over here_

_O-oh O-oh! There's a party over there_

Troy felt the words coming back to him, and, looking at Ryan, he began to sing along. Ryan beamed at him, and Troy sang louder.

_Wanna see Rachel do her thing_

_Then we got Jo, she's got the flow_

_Get ready everybody 'cos here we go!_

"Dude, I can_not_ believe you know all the lyrics," Troy laughed.

"Me? You were singing, too!"

"S Club 7, Ry. Where've you been?" Troy smirked, and continued to sing.

_Ghetto boys, make some noise!_

_Hoochie mamas, show your nanas!_

The song ended, and Ryan quickly changed the station.

"Geez, Ry, can't you stick to one station?" Troy asked.

"No way," Ryan answered. "Gotta find the good stuff. Sing with me!" He'd just stopped at another station, and a new song was blaring.

_A long, long time ago..._

_I can still remember_

_How that music used to make me smile._

Troy glanced at Ryan, who was singing happily, and laughed. Although he didn't know all the words, Troy joined in.

_So bye-bye, miss American pie._

_Drove my chevy to the levee,_

_But the levee was dry_

"I haven't heard this in a while," Troy laughed.

"Neither have I, but it's catchy, isn't it?" Ryan grinned at him and kept singing.

_Do you believe in rock 'n roll,_

_Can music save your mortal soul,_

_And can you teach me how to dance real slow?_

"Oh, hey, there's a gas station!" Ryan said. "Stop here, I'm getting _really_ hungry." As if to prove his point, Ryan's stomach growled. Troy laughed at the look on Ryan's face.

Troy stopped the car at the station. As Ryan raced inside to get food, Troy filled up the tank, humming American Pie to himself. He smiled. Bringing Ryan along had definitely been worth it.

Ryan ran back to the car with an armfull of food just as Troy finished up with the gas pump. Getting back in the car, he saw that Ryan was already making his way through the food. Grabbing an apple, Troy started the car.

"So, how much longer to Mexico?" Ryan asked through a mouthful of who knew what.

"Not much. I don't know exactly, but I think we're close."

They were back on the road.

------

They'd been driving for quite some time when Troy saw it.

"Bienvenidos a Mexico" the sign read, and Troy didn't need to know Spanish to understand it. He smiled.

"Ryan," Troy said. The blond had been gazing out the window, lost in thought, and started at the sound of his name.

"Wha?"

"We're here."

------

Ryan checked his watch. It was nearly time to leave. He and Troy had wanted to do different things, and had split up for a few hours. Now it was time to go meet Troy.

He left the shop he'd been at, and made his way down the road, searching for Troy's car. After walking for five minutes, he saw it.

It was parked outside a bar.

------

Troy had never felt this happy before.

Everything felt so right. He felt like he was flying, like he could do anything he wanted.

Troy sat at a table near the entrance, several empty glasses in front of him. He felt elated. Nothing would go wrong today.

So when Ryan sat down beside him, Troy turned to him with a wide smile. And when Ryan said it was time to go, Troy just shook his head.

Because Troy was having way too much fun to leave now.

"Hey, Ry-Ry! Long time no see!" Troy exclaimed. "Wanna drink?"

"No, I- did you just call me Ry-Ry?" Ryan looked at him suspisciously. "How much have you had?"

"Not much, just-" Troy held up several fingers. "Like two. Or something. Hey, how cool is this place?" He swung his arm around, as if to gesture to the bar. "Hey, Ryyyyan. You're really pretty."

Ryan stood up. "Okay, Troy, that's it. Let's go. C'mon." He grabbed Troy's arms and hoisted him up, dragging him out to the car.

Troy giggled. "Where're we goin'? I wanna drink. Buy me a drink, Ry."

"You've had enough to drink," Ryan said firmly. "We're leaving. Come on, we're heading to Florida next."

"Forilada?" Troy asked as Ryan shoved him into a seat in the car. "Why are we going there?"

"We're going to the beach, remember?" Ryan got behind the wheel, and started the car up, pulling away from the bar.

There was silence for a while, until Troy, staring at Ryan with a huge grin, said, "Have I told you how beautiful you are? 'Cause you're reeeally pretty."

"Okay, Troy. If you say so." Ryan was starting to feel uncomfortable under Troy's gaze. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the brunet lean forward.

"You're beautiful," Troy said again. He was too close now; Ryan could feel Troy's breath on his skin. Troy came closer, closing his eyes as he did…

and promptly passed out on Ryan's shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

_Road Trip_

By SugarHighNutcase

**Okay, guys, here it is; I know I've kept you all waiting for weeks, and I'm so sorry about that, but I couldn't update during my vacation. It killed me. Anyway, here's the fourth chapter to _Road Trip_; please be so kind as to drop a review! This chapter goes out to Hunter, because he is just awesome like that. Enjoy!**

Troy woke up with the bright morning sun in his face. He groaned and sat up, and immediately regretted doing so. He ached all over, and his head was killing him. Troy opened the car door as best he could in his weak state, and stumbled out, nearly falling on the ground.

"Ryan?" Troy called out the blond's name, the sound of his own voice hurting his ears. What had happened to make him like this?

That's when Troy noticed where he was. Sand. Seagulls. Salty air. The sound of waves breaking. Troy was at a beach.

Troy started to walk toward the water when a glimmer of blond hair caught his eye. Turning, he saw Ryan spread out on the sand, soaking up the sun, without a shirt.

_Oh, damn…_

Troy slowly made his way to Ryan, trying- and failing- not to stare.

_When did Ryan get so… wow?_

"Oh, hey, Troy. How're you feeling?" Ryan grinned at the athlete, who flushed in spite of himself.

"Been better, but not bad," Troy managed. "Where are we?"

Ryan didn't stop smiling. "Port Aransas, Texas. Not the best beach in the world, but I'd rather the car break down here than on the highway, you know?"

Troy frowned, trying to process what he'd said. "Yeah… wait, the car broke down?"

"Yeah. I was waiting for you to wake up so we could get out of here."

Troy's headache was starting to worsen. "How're we getting out of here?"

Ryan's grin seemed to widen. "We're flying to Boston."

Troy took a seat beside Ryan. "Ry, I don't have enough money to fly to Boston. Besides, what do we do with my car, huh?"

"Easy. I have my dad's credit card. I'll get us tickets, and hire to tow truck to take your car home."

"That's gonna be expensive." Troy watched Ryan close his eyes, enjoying the sun. He seemed to be so content at the beach; so serene.

"My dad is filthy rich, Troy. Come on, just look at Sharpay."

"Does your dad know you have his credit card?"

"No," Ryan said cheerfully. "He doesn't know, and he'll never know. He hardly notices anything Shar and I do anymore. Stop worrying, Troy. Just enjoy the beach while you have it." He glanced over at the brunet. "And take off your shirt, for God's sake."

Troy blushed. "What!"

"You look like an idiot. We're at the _beach._ How can you enjoy the beach with a _shirt_ on?"

"Oh. R-right." Troy pulled his shirt over his head, and looked over at Ryan, who'd opened his eyes enough to get a good look at the athlete's body. Ryan looked up, caught Troy's eye, and grinned.

"Much better."

------

Troy shifted from one foot to the other, wishing Ryan would hurry. Airports always took forever, and Troy was impatient. Ryan was negotiating their way into a flight to Boston, and Troy could do nothing but wait.

Finally, Ryan turned away from the desk, two tickets in hand. Troy felt a grin working its way on his face; they were all set.

"So, what time's our flight?"

"Not for a few hours. We have time before we need to go to the gate. And our duffels will fit on the plane, so we don't have to check them. So… what do you want to do?"

Troy glanced around. There was a Starbucks between a bookstore and a local pizza place- Mangia's. He could see music stores, vending machine, diners, DVD shops, gift shops and much more. "I guess we could look at the stores, get something to eat, maybe."

He turned to Ryan to see what he thought, but Ryan was gone, into the music store. Troy grinned and followed.

------

After browsing the shops for over an hour, Troy's feet were starting to hurt. He ignored it, however; Ryan was so animated that it was worth it just to watch him get excited over a CD he wanted, or a skirt Sharpay would like. What was even more worth the pain in Troy's feet was the number of times Ryan said "holy shit slice" whenever he found something particularly special.

When Ryan was finally through with all the shops, he and Troy made their way to their gate. They were about to start boarding, and Troy wanted to get on as soon as possible.

The boarding process was slow, but that was to be expected. Settling in his seat, Troy closed his eyes, able to relax. The seats were comfortable, and the roar of the plane was lulling Troy to sleep… slowly drifting... dreaming…

------

Ryan shook Troy's limp body. Troy slowly opened his eyes, feeling disoriented.

"We're here," Ryan said, standing and getting out his duffel bag. "Let's go."

Troy nodded and followed with his own duffel, not really understanding more than the fact that he had to stay with Ryan.

Troy's mind was still in a fog as Ryan led him out of the airports, into a taxi, and then to their hotel. By the time they stepped into the lobby, Troy was feeling much less sleepy.

"So, what hotel is this?" Troy asked as Ryan walked over to the front desk.

"The Tipton. I heard it's the best in Boston, so I thought we'd try it out."

"Hello, welcome to the Tipton," the man behind the front desk said. His nametag read 'Mr. Moseby'.

Troy left Ryan to take care of everything. He'd just spotted the candy counter, and he was hungry. The blonde girl behind the counter was chatting with a girl her age whose clothes reminded Troy of Sharpay. Grinning to himself, he went up to the girls, who stopped talking as he approached.

"Can I get a pack of M& M's, and two Snickers? Thanks," Troy said as he fished around for some money, and looked up. The blonde was staring at him.

"Trevor?" She asked incredulously.

Troy shook his head. "Um, I'm Troy. Troy Bolton."

The blonde girl looked embarrassed. "Sorry, it's just that you look like this guy we knew once. Although, now that I look closer, your nose is different." Troy subconsciously touched his nose, then grinned.

"That's okay. I actually thought you looked kind of like my friend's sister, Sharpay. But obviously you're not."

"Weird how that is," the blonde girl smiled as she handed him the chocolate. "I'm Maddie Fitzpatrick. This is London." She titled her head toward the other girl.

"My daddy owns this hotel," London said proudly. Maddie rolled her eyes.

"So," she said, changing the subject. "Where are you from?"

"Oh- Albequerque. My friend and I are traveling for spring break."

"Girlfriend?" The other girl- London- interjected. She was frowning.

"Ah- no. My friend Ryan." Troy looked behind him to see where Ryan was. The blond had apparently finished with Mr. Moseby, because he was heading toward Troy. Troy turned back to the girls and handed Maddie the money, all the while watching London examine Ryan carefully.

"Hey, Troy. Ooh, chocolate," Ryan said excitedly as he grabbed one of the Snickers. "Thanks."

"Yeah, sure." Troy took his change from Maddie and stuffed it in his pocket. "Ry, this is Maddie and London."

"Oh." Ryan smiled in acknowledgement. "You both work here?"

London and Maddie both snorted. "Me? Work? I think not," London declared just as Maddie laughed, "London? Work? Never."

"London's dad owns the hotel," Maddie explained to him. "How long are you two staying here?" She asked.

Troy looked at Ryan, who answered, "Two nights."

"Cool," Maddie said. "Well, I hope you enjoy your stay. If you need anything, I'm always happy to help. I can show you around town or whatever you need." She smiled.

"Thanks," Troy said. He and Ryan turned and started toward the elevators, when they opened, one after another, and two blond boys flew out. They were young, probably around 13, and both had helmets and roller blades on. They shot out of the elevators, racing across the lobby, swerving around people and furniture.

"'Scuse me! Ouch- sorry. Watch out!"

"Look out; comin' through! Ha, I'm winning- ow. Sorry- hey, no fair!"

"No roller blading in the lobby! Boys! Argh! Oh, sorry, ma'am. Get back here! No, not you, ma'am."

Troy watched, mouth open, as the boys tore through the lobby, creating havoc and panic. Mr. Moseby attempted to stop them, but to no avail. The boys raced around the lobby several times before disappearing. "Um…"

"Oh, that was just Zack and Cody. They live here. You wouldn't believe what they get up to."

Ryan turned to her. "They live here?"

Maddie nodded. "Their mom performs here, and in exchange Moseby lets them live here for free. They've got so much energy; you wouldn't believe it." She grinned. "So, what've you got planned after Boston?"

"I dunno," Ryan replied. "I figured we'd slowly make our way back home. I think Troy can choose where we head next, since it was my idea to come to Boston."

"Yeah, I dunno. Wherever the wind takes us, I guess, right?"

"Sure. Well, enjoy your stay, and let me know if I can do anything," Maddie said as the boys went off to their rooms.

------

Troy stuck his head out of the bathroom, holding a towel wrapped around his waist. "Ryan?" He called out. "Can you get me some clothes? I sort of forgot about them when I went in to shower," he said sheepishly.

A moment later, Ryan came holding a bundle of clothes. He looked amused as he took in the sight of a half-naked Troy. "Nice."

Troy caught Ryan's gaze, and Ryan grinned. "Hurry up and change," the blond said. "I need to shower, too."

As Troy went back in the bathroom, he could have sworn he saw Ryan staring at his bare chest one last time.


	5. Chapter 5

_Road Trip_

By SugarHighNutcase

**Well, I'm sorry for the long wait. AND the crappy ending. Hope you enjoyed it, anyway. And thanks for all the reviews! You rock! **

Troy Bolton was flying. Everything was wonderful. He felt peaceful and… happy. Like nothing could go wrong.

Until he was jerked awake by the obnoxious ringing of the hotel phone. Groggily, Troy lifted his head. The clock on the bedside table read 3:15 exactly.

_Dammit. Why'd we have to get such a goddamned early flight?_

Surprised he could actually think coherently, Troy picked up the phone and put it to his ear. He heard something about a wake-up call, and a taxi arriving at 4. Troy nodded, forgetting whoever was on the line couldn't see him, and hung up. He groaned, then finally got up.

Ryan was still alseep.

How he'd managed to sleep through that incessent ringing, Troy would never know. He grabbed a pillow from his bed, and whacked the blond with it. "Wake up, Ry, we gotta get goin'." Troy mumbled, still sleepy.

Ryan moaned and rolled over. "Gimme five minutes," he said. At least, that's what Troy thought he said. It was hard to tell.

"No. You. Up. Now." Troy pulled the sheets off the other boy, threw them on the floor, and stumbled to the bathroom, cursing the beautiful blond as he did.

_Beautiful? What the hell?_

Blaming it on sleep deprivation, Troy splashed water on his face. The cold liquid instantly woke him up, and he quickly got ready. Stepping out of the bathroom, Troy looked to make sure Ryan was up.

_Oh. Damn._

Oh, yes. Ryan was up. And changing. _And incredibly good-looking._

Troy watched, unable to move, as Ryan slowly pulled on a pair of pants, the thin light from the bathroom falling on the boy's chest. Ryan sat up and stretched, almost as though he knew the inner turmoil he was causing the athlete.

Troy was still unable to move as Ryan stood, turned, and met Troy's eyes with a smile.

---------

Spring Break was over. Vacations had ended. News had gotten around. Rumors had spread.

"Did you hear?"

"Troy Bolton dumped that Montez girl."

"What? Really? So he's single?"

"I heard he took off with that Evans boy. No one knows where they went."

"You mean that queer? The drama kid?"

"That's the one."

"Why the hell would Troy Bolton spend Spring Break with that fag?"

The rumors were everywhere. Theories flew from classroom to classroom, and school hadn't even started yet. It seemed all of East High was waiting with baited breath for the basketball star to arrive.

Troy wasn't planning on making a grand entrance, and yet that was how it happened. Kids staring, whispering in the hallways, as Troy Bolton walked to homeroom, hand in hand with Ryan Evans.


End file.
